Stone In Love

Chapter 46

Bonnie and Clyde were the first to greet me when I arrived at the Valentino compound. Admittedly, I'd been nervous about the welcome I would receive from the Valentinos, and I was reassured by the chorus of high pitched whimpers as Vincent's dogs jumped on my legs despite his commands to stay down.

"Clearly, these two don't think you're a threat," he said as he lured them into the kitchen with the promise of treats. "We should have used them as our guide. Dogs are keen to sense danger."

I sat on the floor as the dogs devoured their snacks, letting them lick me with bacon-scented breath. "When I was six, my dog saved me from getting hit by a car. She barked and alerted me just in time."

Vincent stilled and closed his eyes as he blanched. He looked as if I told him I had actually died. "I am very glad she did."

A moment later, Colin walked through the door and smiled down at me. "Hey, Reese. You're home. Looks like the dogs are happy to see you."

I thought about the word home and how easily it rolled off Colin's tongue. The place was definitely starting to feel like home. "Maybe they thought I'd been eaten by a demon." I shrugged when both Colin and Vincent offered me incredulous stares. "I need to figure out what to do with my apartment... and Mr. Pearlman."

"Do you have to do something about Mr. Pearlman?" Colin asked, bending down to acknowledge the dogs as they greeted him with wagging tails.

"Yes. He's old and needy, and he can't afford a caretaker. I've already saved his life once. What if he had another heart attack and died because I wasn't there to help him?"

"Reese, you can't save everyone," Colin said. "You just said he was old. He's lived a full life."

I grimaced at him. "Spoken by someone whose job is to protect the citizens of New York City, or is that just a cover so you can come off looking heroic?"

Colin looked taken aback but he recovered smoothly. "I don't get any credit for what I do. My heroics are only appreciated by my family."

"That's right, Colin. Keep telling yourself that," Vincent said as he reached for my hand and helped me off the floor. "We'll work something out regarding Mr. Pearlman."

Vincent graced me with a reassuring smile and a chaste kiss just before a slender, well-dressed man walked out of his bedroom with Vincent's clothes draped over his shoulder. The man's eyebrows rose when he saw me, and I mimicked his gesture. Awkward didn't begin to cover the moment. Vincent cleared his throat as he introduced the man.

"Reese, you haven't met Bates. He visits twice a week to make sure the Valentino bachelors don't embarrass ourselves with our narcissistic lifestyle."

Bates still hadn't lowered his eyebrows even as he reached out a meticulously manicured hand to greet me, and that's when I realized his eyebrows had been plucked to give him a perpetually surprised expression. Based on his high-collared shirt and flawlessly groomed blond hair, I hadn't expected him to be the housekeeper.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Reese. I heard Vincent found himself a steady girl. Now I know who these belong to." Bates pulled the clothes off his shoulder and extracted my blue lace underwear, waving them in the air. Geez, how inappropriate. Colin laughed and I was convinced my face had gone scarlet.

"Oh, dear. I hope I haven't overstepped my bounds," Bates said, although I could tell he was enjoying the joke as much as Colin. "These are yours, I assume. I was going to throw them into the wash with Vincent's clothes."

All I could manage was a strangled version of, "Um..."

"Bates takes his job seriously," Vincent interrupted, speaking through tight lips. "And if he wants to keep it, he will refrain from making assumptions."